Resilient rim for automobile wheels



July 10, 1923;-

F. THORNTON RES'IILIENT RIM FOR AUTOMOBILE WHEELS Filed No 5} 1922 I FREDERICK *mmzwuww:

I N VEN TOR.

: 7K A TTORNEY.

Patented July 10,159.23,

FREDERICK THORNTON, or HUNTINGTON, wnsr VIRGINIA;

, nnsrmnnrr nnvr FOR AuroMosILn wHnnLs.

Application filed Nove To all whom it may concern; 1

Be it known that I, FREDERICK THORN- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntington, in the county of Cabell and State of West Virginia, have invented oer: tain new and useful Improvements in 'Re silient Rims for Autom0bile Wheels, of

which the following is a specification.-

My invention relates to that type of vehicle wheel which dispenses with the pneumatic tire and'provides a resiliently sup- I ported rim upon which a solid rubber tire may be placed.

Among other objects of this invention, I propose to provide a rim structure which may be inserted upon, and held in place on, the periphery of a conventional motor vehicle wheel. r f:

This structure embodies an inner solid'circular rim' between which and the tire are peculiarly and eificiently arranged a number of resilient elements or spring members which render the use of a solid rubber tire'as advantageous as the use of a pneumatic tire.

Another object of the invention is to'so arrange the spring members that they may be compressed throughout the periphery of the rim structureand afterlsuch compression the tire may be 'ins-ertedin position.

Thereafter, the spring members are allowed to expand so that they may hold the tire in place and give it the desired resiliency. f

Another object of my invention is to provide the spring members with adjusting de vices so that the resiliency-of the tire may be controlled as desired.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged sectional view-of, the device used to hold alternate pairs of i the springs 3 and 5 in correctposition and,

to adjust the tension of the inner spring.

My lnventionembodies a device adapted 3, 1922. Serial No. 598,814.

to be placedin position on the rim of a wheel I such as is represented by thenumeral 1.

Arranged to contact with said rim is a solid circular element-2. Passing through the element 2' at regularly} spaced points therein and screw-threaded throughsaidrim areset-screws 20.

Radial holes are, of course, bored through rim l'to allow the insertionjof said setscrews and other access thereto. I

These set-screws contact with spring'menr here 3 at their outer ends'and are effective to vary the force exerted by said spring members and cause the tire 15 to be more or less resilient asdesir'ed. I

The spring members?) 'extendin a sdirection outwardly from. the set-screws and directly outside'of the element 2, having their outer ends curved upwardly so as'to'contact with spring members 5, which are secured at theirfmid-points to 'U-shaped 'membersjf.

The upwardly curved ends of thewspring members 3 are represented by the numeral 6. It is to'be noted that the ends. ofthe spring members '3 have sliding contact with relation to theunder surfaces of thespring members 5 and thatthe former arecapable of slidin a considerable'distance'alongsaid surfaces of thelatter members.v

The U-shapedmember 7 has its armsextending, inwardlytoward the center' of the rim structure and located'adjacent toithe telly 1 of the vehicle wheel so-as to hold the spring in correct position relativetothe wheel I Similar U-shaped membersare secured to alternate ones of the inner spring members 3 and have their parallel arms lying between the arm 7 and thewheel. These members 7 and s as back as.

forth radially as the rim structure 1s used.

Alternating around the rim structure with such pairs'of spring members as are above described are similar spring members, 22,

having U-shaped guiding members lO sespring members 5. a j o Secured to the elementl onone s de thereof may be circular ring. which 1s integral v x 1 00" cured thereto at 9. The ends of these latter. :7

spring members 22 overliethe ends of the throughout and of a width corresponding to the width or the arcuate'fian ell, which is shown in Figure 1. y l y Secured to the other side of the element 1 andhaving their endsclosely adjacent tothe fesentedfby 7: and -'8,""there are gde'tztchdbly allt 'ate airfs oft-he Springs: and Bfarmmd 1 fil l eqrlmftrllctlli'eif 'f',y I

/ "the' flee 9f structure "on" alternate dev'ieeI -nd plurality off-guiding Tribe-reds presented outwardly; i lhi's adjusting device;0mprises ;a;jsetscrew ibbutgthe; periphery a Vehicle-wheel; a are "ring lides "on. anbthei spring for a' cdlr l, -fside' edges 05f 'lthejffdrms '7 are" a pluralityj f, )1 j ztfeuatfef plates 11 which have grooves l2 iormed 1 at their midsection's and extending I 'mdiallly so asftojellowfthe member 1;O.t0 slide] "nwardly"andbtitwz rdly between the edge of l 1 At the poihts) I structured 1dhefe 1ithel eijaretwo fslidingmembers such as rep bolted to the ends: Q]? the membe re "llrgulde; members which ar'ecU=-shaped;ihj cross-section"? held all of; the 1heflibe'rs of my rirhlstrhetm e lIJfitllQlIi fprqp'eg' v positions when the bolts, 1-5- are in osition with thefn'uts erewedtherebm Wee-for ihner"'spring *3 which isiflusedib n 7 hi hf-ls screwthrea'de'd 1 int d theelementf 22st enfits'iippergenjd reducedcylindribal pqjr 26" I which seats incorrespondingly pep, tgket inffef elip f'silflfa vmgl described ihventioh iyhztt N M rets il i ehtrim"Structure. fer vehicle? wheel's-,Tzt' circular elementkfada p'ted t0: fit

pt??? omgs'a d e ement ut rd P "ahty Soil-leaf springs arranged-1 gxhut "the I r re a ihd slaidelmerit-Withjitheir .dsflse ari'a ged that -ezic'h fv-end of g sld eljtble 'g di stanee; eertain of stid' (springs J =-belllgfarranged inpeirsy with their "ends icu} eyed oppqs ltely the end' of; the" *innfei'l pnngof each pair ,"cu rvihg;outwardly a il radially imi a fdly ahdelosely adj acent tofthe "i u'idU-shaped:gtiidingdnemhersfseeufedn g, j theinidpointspf saldueprings and'extendingsides 3i?fealid eleh eht-feb' a'sto'allowleaid prings ,tO move iriwti'dly, 'a'nd dutWa-rdly,

ZeflIna resilientrim str titiiie for vehl cle wheels, a" circular g-el'ement adapted; to-fit '7 21 aloo ov theperiphery Of a; yeh-icle-.wheel ,fa.tire

spaced, from .said; element outwardly, a aplu I".

relitybfleaf,springsqarra-nged aboutth'epe V rlphery of said elernentsa d' locatedbetweeh j said tire a'nd s'aid element with' their; enjdsfso s0 arraiiged th at-e'a'chfendpfieaehepi'ing slides l 011' another} p-ring {or ,a' considerable dis? tance', certain 0f sa ld fsjpriligs being arrzt:ng edv iil lpa-irs with their: ends"eurved oppqsitely; thei endsl of the inner sprihg o fxeeohj pair 1 curving.butwaidlyianditheoutei spping halv- 'ee nds' icurving "inwili'dlyythe.lends -df the inner sprih'gs contacting ;with thel;inner stu faces mil the outer spring's -jsras tq; slide on eaid suffac'es, i"adiallyf'arflaiiged means element, bile 'of saild fijahgesphawing agjplur,

pzissing through said elemerlit and} screw threadedthepemto fo'r'edjusting said-s rings and pr esentlng newsutgface'seffseid :ti're'fpr? I 1 ,use,-- mflahge secured toeach idegof 'said l 9 1; 1.

in'gm embers' secured 'ttthe mid pbints djfesai'd Springs end efz'teiidingradially inwafdlyand' I elosely adj acent itefgthefisidee of; Said ele ent,"

so {as tof allo wlsa-id springs "to move inwardly; v iahd.- utwardly, radially, said x -rep ete. mm; here terminating xlcilosely adj acerit ,to said guiding membef' "sb fthat the: ehdsi: of the pair's," having oppoeitely curi ed en'dg-jsaid if e i'ds' fgSi'dsprings-beipg arrangedtQelide. I

iupori 1 each other for; a; considerable dlst tncey a radially l arranged set-Screw,- screwihreadedinto "said eleme tifor v{az lc'ho'f said .pztirs' 0f-v of z lternatepairs s'ai'd palrsxbfspringe, fa

K QRNTON B-EDIE 1 In testimonywhereo'f I 

